The present invention relates to a hingeless ventilator for ventilating a compartment or enclosure through a defining wall thereof. Hingeless ventilators are well known in the art and there are a number of Kelly and Kelly et al. patents on hingeless ventilators particularly designed for ventilating a cab or other compartment of a vehicle. Among these patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,102,464; 3,358,576; 3,375,772; 3,839,950; 4,452,129; 5,020,425; and 5,766,068.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,772 to Kelly et al. describes a xe2x80x9cone-wayxe2x80x9d hingeless ventilator having a cover member that is swingable in an arc in one direction between open and closed positions. The device described in the ""772 patent includes a tension rod mounted on a frame for holding the cover member in position. The cover has a guide secured to an inner face thereof having a guide way which is slidably engaged with the tension rod.
The present invention relates to an improvement on a type of hingeless ventilator utilizing a tensioning rod passing through a slot on the actuator, and particularly to an improvement of the actuating member.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved hingeless ventilator, particularly a hingeless ventilator having an improved actuating device.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,315 B1 issued on Aug. 28, 2001, to Kelly describes a two-way hingeless ventilator having a tensioning rod fixed to the frame. The rod extends through a generally V-shaped slot in an actuating member that extends from the inner side of the closure member to exert a closing force to the closure member. The closure member is variably movable from the closed position to an open position by rotation or pivoting of the actuating member which causes the tensioning rod to engage along either side of the V-shaped slot. The present invention relates to an improvement that is particularly useful on the type of hingeless ventilator described in the ""315 patent to Kelly. Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,315 B1 is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes.
In accordance with the objects and purposes of the invention, a hingeless ventilator is provided for ventilating an enclosure through a wall thereof. The hingeless ventilator according to the invention is not particularly limited in its field of use, and may be used wherever it is desired to ventilate a compartment or space.
The hingeless ventilator includes a frame defining a central opening therethrough. Preferably, a perforated plate or screen member is disposed across the central opening. The perforated plate or screen member may be formed integral with the frame.
A closure member is disposed against an outer side of the frame to seal the central opening in a closed position. The closure member is swingable relative to the frame between open and closed positions. In one embodiment of the invention, the ventilator is a xe2x80x9ctwo-wayxe2x80x9d ventilator and the closure member is positionable to alternate (oppositely oriented) open positions. The closure member has a shape, for example as defined by flanges, so as to align and seal against complimenting portions of the frame member. The closure member may include a unitary bracket with a cover member attached thereto.
A tensioning or spring rod is fixed or attached to the frame and extends between opposite sides of the central opening. In a preferred embodiment, the central opening has a generally rectangular shape and the tensioning rod is fixed to the frame across the longer aspect of the rectangular opening.
An actuating member extends from an inner side of the closure member through the central opening in the frame and is located between the ends of the tensioning rod. In a preferred embodiment, the actuating member is centered longitudinally relative to the tensioning rod. The actuating member may comprise any configuration and, in a preferred embodiment, is a plate member extending from the inner side of the closure member. For example, in the embodiment wherein the closure member includes a unitary bracket, the actuating member may comprise a plate formed integral with the bracket and bent at a right angle relative thereto. In an alternative embodiment, the actuating member may comprise a plate that is welded or otherwise attached to the closure member. The actuating member extends in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tensioning rod.
The tensioning rod passes through a positioning slot defined in the actuating member. The positioning slot is defined so that the tensioning rod is maintained in a constant state of tension to apply a closing force to the closure member. In one embodiment, the positioning slot comprises a shape so that the closure member can be pivoted or moved to an open position in either direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the frame to give the closure member its xe2x80x9ctwo-wayxe2x80x9d operation. In this embodiment, the positioning slot comprises a central position defining the closed position of the cover member, and opposite side slots that extend away from, for example at an angle or arc, from the central position. The closure member is variably movable from the closed position to oppositely facing open positions by movement of the actuating member that causes relative sliding movement between the tensioning rod and either of the side slots. In a preferred embodiment, the positioning slot has a generally V-shape with the closed position being defined at the apex of the V-shape.
It should also be appreciated that the present invention encompasses an embodiment having a single side slot extending from the closed position. Such an embodiment would be considered a xe2x80x9cone-wayxe2x80x9d ventilator because it can only open in one direction.
The actuating member includes an assist member configured therewith to aid in moving the actuating member off of the closed position and along the length of the positioning slot relative to the tensioning rod. For example, it may be preferred to incorporate a recess or scalloped portion in the actuating member slot to hold the tensioning rod in the central or closed position. However, in order to move the actuating member relative to the tensioning rod to open the ventilator, some degree of effort must be exerted by the operator to disengage the tensioning rod from the central or closed position and along the positioning slot. The assist member aids in this regard. The assist member adds a mechanical advantage without significantly increasing the length of the actuating member. The mechanical advantage could be increased by lengthening the actuating member to increase the moment force. However, the inventive ventilator is typically used in compartments where space is a critical concern, such as a truck cab. It is not desirable to have the actuating member extend any more than is necessary into the compartment space.
In one embodiment, the assist member is an elongated member pivotally attached to the actuating member at a location above the central or closed position in the positioning slot. A top portion of the assist member is manually grasped by the operator and, in this regard, may include a handle or like device for easy grasping and manipulation by the operator. The assist member further may include an elongated guide channel extending downwardly from the pivot point to a location adjacent the tensioning rod at the closed position of the positioning slot. The tensioning rod passes through the guide channel. In operation, the operator manually grasps the top portion of the assist member, for example by way of a handle provided on the assist member, and pivots (pushes) the assist member in a direction so that a side of the guide channel engages and pushes against the tensioning rod. This action causes the tensioning rod to disengage from the closed position in the positioning slot. Further movement of the assist member by the operator causes the relative movement between the tensioning rod and actuating member along the length of the positioning slot. The guide channel thus has a shape to accommodate the full range of relative movement between the rod and positioning slot.
It should be appreciated that the assist member and guide channel may take on any manner of structural configuration and shape while still providing the lever-like assist in opening the ventilator. In one particular embodiment, the guide channel is defined as a generally U-shaped opening defined between opposite extending leg members. This embodiment is useful when the positioning slot includes two side slots (a xe2x80x9ctwo-wayxe2x80x9d ventilator) extending in generally opposite directions from a central closed position of the positioning slot. One leg member pushes against the tensioning rod in one pivotal direction of the assist member, and the opposite leg member pushes against the tensioning rod in the opposite pivotal direction of the assist member.
It may be preferred to utilize a friction reducing collar or similar device around the tensioning rod at the location where the rod passes through the positioning slot. In this embodiment, the leg members or other structure defining the guide channel in the assist member may engage against the collar.
The actuating member also includes a handle member or operating mechanism attached thereto so that an operator can easily operate the ventilator manually or by way of a power or driven assist.
Other features of the present two-way hingeless ventilator will be described in greater detail below through use of the appended figures.